Bucyrus: Simulator training for success

12 March, 2003

The airline industry has taken advantage of training simulators for years. Commercial pilots spend hours in a simulator to ensure that they are well prepared for taking control of a multi-million dollar piece of equipment. New pilots learn first on a simulator and experienced pilots use a simulator to stay at peak performance levels. Simulator training is a proven, proactive tool for
helping to ensure the safety of all involved.

Mining machinery is no different. Rope shovels, draglines and blasthole drills are multi-million dollar pieces of equipment. It is strategically important to a mine that their operators are well prepared for taking control of these giant machines in order to consistently derive the highest productivity levels.

Ultimately it is the safety of the operator and other personnel in the area that is the highest priority.

Training a new operator in a simulator reduces the risk of equipment damage as compared to training on an actual piece of equipment. Equipment damage means possible downtime, which means lost revenue. Worse... safety can be compromised.

Experienced operators can take advantage of a simulator to hone their skills when their machine is not available and a simulator eliminates the need for taking a productive piece of equipment out of service for training purposes.

Bucyrus International, Inc. is pleased to have joined with Immersive Technologies Pty Ltd in an exclusive agreement to bring simulator training to mines that are using Bucyrus rope shovels, draglines and blasthole drills. Similar systems are used for training drivers of the world's largest haul trucks providing proven, positive results. Now, for the first time, this technology is available to rope shovel, dragline, and blasthole drill operators as well.

Bucyrus and Immersive are making this technology available through several different programs which can be tailored to meet the needs of an individual customer. Users will have the greatest flexibility for ongoing training programs by purchasing a complete

Simulator and then adding the machine and mine specific conversion kits to fit their needs. A simulator is a self-contained, transportable, climate controlled, modular unit. When it arrives at a mine's chosen training location the unit can be setup and running in under 30 minutes. When training at that location is complete it can be transported to another location.

The modularity of the simulator provides for insertion of machine specific conversion kits. The conversion kit immerses the trainee in an environment that is, for all intents and purposes, identical to that of an actual piece of equipment. Not only is the immediate environment identical, but the 3-D, 180º view that the operator sees is mine specific as well. The operator isn't training on a generic piece of equipment at a generic mine site. He or she is training on the specific piece of equipment they will be operating at the mine site where they will be working.

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About Immersive Technologies

Immersive Technologies is the world's largest, proven and tested supplier of surface and underground Advanced Equipment Simulators to the global mining industry. The company has achieved this unique position by focusing on its mission to make every mining and earthmoving equipment operator in the world safer and their employer more profitable through its simulation technologies. Immersive Technologies' Advanced Equipment Simulators are helping hundreds of mining companies around the world to increase their equipment operators' safety and site profitability through effective simulation training.

Immersive Technologies provides its customers with the most effective Advanced Equipment Simulators available. This is made possible through the formal exclusive licensing and technical information alliances Immersive has established with the leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM), including: Caterpillar, Hitachi, Komatsu and Liebherr. These unique alliances provide Immersive Technologies with exclusive access to the OEM's proprietary and confidential machine technical information that is required to correctly simulate the OEM's machines and is not available through other public or dealer channels.

With advanced simulator modules deployed in 39 countries, Immersive Technologies is dedicated to provide outstanding service. To deliver on this commitment the company has customer sales and support offices located close to its customers in Perth and Brisbane Australia, Salt Lake City USA, Calgary, Ottawa & Vancouver Canada, Monterrey Mexico, Lima Peru, Santiago Chile, Bochum Germany, Johannesburg South Africa, Jakarta Indonesia, Kolkata India and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.